Cigarette filter



April 25, 1939.

P P. ONIFREY CIGARETTE FILTER Filed June 5, 1956 BBOryi rey Patented Apr. 25, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

It is a well-known fact that the smoking of cigarettes constitutes a grave danger to the health of the smoker due to the fact that nicotine from the tobacco is drawn directly into the lungs during the respiratory action and becomes coated on the walls thereof. Further, as the tobacco in the cigarette is formed of fine individual shreds, these shreds are free to pass into the mouth of the smoker to his annoyance. Further, the cigarette paper is usually held together by some form of mucilage, the paper itself is very often treated and as the cigarette is consumed, fumes from the paper and such adulterations are also drawn into the lungs.

The object of the present invention is to provide a partition across the mouth receiving end of a cigarette to prevent the transfer of tobacco from the cigarette to the mouth, to also act as a filter for the smoke passing into the mouth and to collect nicotine and prevent its passage into the lungs.

A still further object of the invention is to construct the filter or partition in such a manner that it will be fiexible and collapse under pressure from the walls of the cigarette and so approximate the compressibility of the ordinary cigarette while embodying all the above mentioned filter advantages.

With the above important objects in view, the 30 invention consists essentially in the arrangement and construction of parts hereinafter more particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section taken 35 through one end of a cigarette and showing the filter device attached.

Figure 2 is an enlarged face view of a filter blank before being pressed into the shapes indicated in Figures 1 and 3.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the filter shown in Figure 1.

In the drawing like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

A cigarette is generally indicated by the numeral I and comprises a cylindrical paper casing 2 filled with tobacco 3 and one end is closed by a partition or filter 4 now to be described.

A circular blank 5 composed of paper, linen or other suitable filtering material is shown in Figure 2, the blank being notched around the periphery as at 6 to form a series of radiating tongues 1. The blank shown in Figure 2 is provided with a V-shaped opening 8 from the periphcry to the centre of the blank.

In forming the filter a suitable cone shaped die (not shown) will be utilized to press the centre portion of the blank into the shape shown and when this occurs the edges of the V-shaped opening 8 will come together while the edges of the tongues will be brought together so the whole may be pressed into the cigarette tube with the tongues coming in contact therewith. A variety of means may be employed to fasten the tongues to the tubes but it has been found that with proper dies the pressure exerted on the filter during the insertion will be sufiicient to hold them in position.

From the construction described, it will be apparent that due to the cone shape the filter will have considerable flexibility. When inserted in the ends of the cigarettes the pressure of the smokers lips on the outer walls of the cigarette will cause them to collapse in the same manner as the present tailor-made cigarette. As these filters will be made from linen or other suitable filtering material, the smoke will be strained as it passes into the mouth and all juices, nicotine and other liquids or solids will be retained on the inside of the filters. Such filters may be medicated in any manner desired and accordingly will materially assist in protecting the health of the smoker.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A cigarette filter comprising a resiliently expansible hollow conical member having a slit extending from the apex to the free edge thereof, said filter being adapted to be fitted into a cigarette to exert pressure on the interior wall thereof to maintain said filter in position in said cigarette.

2. A cigarette filter comprising a resiliently expansible hollow conical member, a cylindrical extension on the free edge of said member, a slit extending from the apex of said member to the free edge of the extension thereof, said filter being adapted to be fitted into a cigarette to exert pressure on the interior wall thereof to maintain said filter in position in said cigarette.

3. A cigarette filter comprising a resiliently expansible hollow conical member, a cylindrical extension on the free edge of said member, a slit extending from the free edge of said extension to the apex of said member, serrations formed in the free edge of said extension, said filter being adapted to be fitted into a cigarette to exert pressure on the interior wall thereof to maintain said filter in position in said cigarette.

PETER PAUL 

